Warriors of Virtue (1997)

May 2, 1997

Good Guys Like Kangaroos And Bad Guys . . . Don't Ask

By LAWRENCE VAN GELDER

Published: May 2, 1997

Maybe it's time to expand the ratings system to include the designation P, as in painful to watch. Movies like ''Warriors of Virtue'' inspire that sort of thinking. ''Warriors of Virtue'' is 10 cents' worth of comic book buried under a few million dollars' worth of effort that might be considered worthwhile if tedium were a marketable commodity.

Mixing ingredients that conjure up fonder memories of everything from ''Star Wars'' to ''The Wizard of Oz,'' ''The Karate Kid'' and yes, even the Ninja Turtles, ''Warriors of Virtue'' bills itself as an action fantasy. Its five producers include four doctor brothers, and its credits include both a director (Ronny Yu) and an action choreographer (Siuming Tsui), but apparently no one could find a cure for the stupor-inducing ingredients of the script by Michael Vickerman and Hugh Kelley. ''Warriors of Virtue'' tells the story of an unhappy boy named Ryan Jeffers (Mario Yedidia), whose yearnings to be one of the high school gang are impeded by his lame leg. Among his friends are Ming (Dennis Mung), a flamboyant chef in a Chinese restaurant who tries to buoy Ryan's spirits with tales of the legendary Warriors of Virtue.

Among Ryan's idols are his school's football players, and when the quarterback offers to accept Ryan into their fold, the boy foolishly agrees to an initiation that includes walking a pipe that crosses a whirlpool. Soon he is swept away, only to awaken in a primeval forest in the mystical land of Tao. There he finds himself whole of leg, a pivotal figure in a dusty, windblown struggle. On one side are the forces of good, which include the Warriors of Virtue, kangaroolike martial artists, and their wise Master Chang (Chao-li Chi). On the other are the forces of Evil, which include the villainous warlord Komodo (Angus Macfadyen) and the alluring but ambivalent Elysia (Marley Shelton).

The action defies credibility. The Warriors of Virtue, known as Roos, seem more neurotic than heroic, and Komodo is one of those campy cacklers who swiftly wears out his welcome. Even those who revel in metaphors will have a hard time getting their pulses to hammer over Tao's dwindling supply of the life-giving substance called Zubrium.

It's hard to figure who might find ''Warriors of Virtue'' absorbing. Perhaps some 10-year-old boys weary of moving their lips over the words in picture books.

''Warriors of Virtue'' is rated PG (Parental guidance suggested). It does an excellent job of avoiding the dreaded G rating by having its characters repeat a four-letter word several times in quick succession.

WARRIORS OF VIRTUE

Directed by Ronny Yu; written by Michael Vickerman and Hugh Kelley; director of photography, Peter Pau; action choreographer, Siuming Tsui; edited by David Wu; music by Don Davis; production designer, Eugenio Zanetti; produced by Dennis Law, Ronald Law, Christopher Law, Jeremy Law and Patricia Ruben; released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Running time: 103 minutes. This film is rated PG.